BA WANTS CHINA ALLIANCE

POST rferguson DATE April 8, 16:12

It seems BA is making progress in its aim to get a better presence in China. It seems set to announce an alliance with China Southern or China Eastern, with talks now at a formal stage. Given both airlines are already in a competing mega-alliance [Skyteam], it’s hard to say how far working together would go. But cross-alliance joint-service agreements are becoming more common – for example, Star Alliance’s Air New Zealand with Oneworld’s Cathay Pacific, and Oneworld’s Qantas with China Eastern.

MarcusGB April 8, 22:24

I think Skyteam has more than five Chinese airline partners already [editor’s note: it has four]. It also has a large customer base and a great reputation, which BA will find hard to match.

CXDiamond April 9, 09:24

I know how fickle the Chinese market is; to win, BA will have to pull rabbits out of hats and accept that it has come to the table late. Any deal will be far more favourable to the Chinese than BA, so I wouldn’t expect anything too great in the foreseeable future.

stevescoots April 11, 07:49

Chinese travellers can get a Schengen visa, fly KLM into Amsterdam then start to travel on foot. Why would they fly via Heathrow for the same or a more expensive price? The key to BA’s success in Asia will be whether Chinese passport holders can get visas as easily as they can get a Schengen visa.

sparkyflyer April 11, 08:30

I suspect BA will try to codeshare with China Eastern – the cynic in me is saying this is because it would remove some competition on the Shanghai route. China Eastern has a massive intra-China network, and big hubs, including one at Chengdu.

amc1234 April 11, 09:54

I am always a little perplexed when people criticise an airline like BA on its China strategy, comparing it with KLM, which has a big footprint in China because it has a sixrunway hub with plenty of capacity. BA has a slot-constrained airport and focuses on routes that can maximise profit.